Thirds to eugene higgins and fbank h



(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1. A. B. PRESTON.

WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

No. 868,549. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

2 sheets sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. EQPRESTON WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

Fluvculo:

@SM @UTOZHCI- ihvirno STATES I PATENT @rrrhn.

ALMON E. PRESTON, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF TWVO- THIRDS TO EUGENE HIGGINS AND FRANK H'.'PRESTON.

WlRE NAlL IVlACHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,549, dated August 16, 1887.

Application filed March 18, 1887. Serial No. 231,595.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMoN E. PRESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'WireNail Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic machines for making wire nails from a continuous length of Wire fed to the same from a reel or coil, and has for its object the production of machines with the best practical application of power to secure great strength and rigidity,and thereby secure a maximum of durability and efficiency.

To this end one branch of my invention consists in the combination, under the arrangement herein-after particularly described and claimed, of the grippingdies, the pointing and severing dies, and the heading punch, the

' mechanism for imparting the requisite movements to these devices, and a solid heavilyribbed bed-plate or frame, preferably cast in one piece, upon which all of the movable parts and the supports of such parts of the machine proper are directly mounted.

Another branch of my invention consists of improved mechanism for drawing the wire from the reel, straightening the same, and for feeding it to the machine as required for any ordinary length of nail. This feeding mechanism will also be particularly described and claimed hereinafter.

' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the main part of the machine, the feeding device being broken away. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the machine on line y y of Fig. 1, showing the ends of one part of the gripping-die, cutting-off and pointing die, and the heading-punch in elevation. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line a x of Figs. 1 and 2, showing the cams or eccentrics and connections for operating the die blocks or carriers of the cutting-off and pointing dies. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the line a z of Figs. 1 and 2, looking toward the front of the machine, showing the gripping-dies in elevation and their die blocks or carriers partly in section and partly in elevation. Fig. 5 is aplan,

(No model.)

and Fig. 6 is a side elevation, of the mechanism for feeding the wire to the machine. Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged views, similar to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 9 is aface view of a cam for operating a striker for clearing the machine.

A is the bedrplate or main frame of the ma chine, cast in one piece,with deep flanges along its sides, and one end with transverse strengthening-rib, and with bolsters for the shaft-bearings, as shown. The plate or frame is provided also with openings for the driving-gears and the crank to work in, and beneath the cutting-off dies, to permit the nails to drop through the bed to the floor or to a suitable hopper. The bed-plate or frame is supported on heavy iron legs securely bolted thereto.

B is the crankshaft for operating the heading-punch and is the main driving-shaft of the machine. It is driven by a pulley from any prime motor. This shaft is arranged across the bed at one end, and is supported in bearingsmade in the casting A, or such as are heavily bolted to the same.

0 O are shafts arranged at right angles to shaft B, mounted in bearings, also firmly secured near the surface of the bed or made in tegral with the bed. These shafts are driven by miter-gears, as shown in the drawings. The shafts G 0 each carry cams'D, E, and E, for operating the gripping and cutting-off dieblocks, respectively, to bring the respective dies to their work at the proper time. One of these shafts also carries a grooved cam, F, to operate a hammer or striker, F, arranged, as shown, to break off the finished nail and insure its clearance from the machine before the wire for the succeeding nail is moved forward. The other shaft 0 carries a crank, O, at its forward extremity for imparting movement to the feeding mechanism, to be further described:

G.is the heading-punch, mounted in a sliding frame, which works in ways in a wellknown manner.

H is a connecting-rod provided with right and left hand screw-threads, so that the heading-punch may be adjusted toward or from the crank-shaft as well as with relation to the operative face of the grippingdies and anvil, to regulate the thickness of the head of the nail. Y

I I are die-blocks for the gripping-dies,

These blocks are mounted in a dovetail groove in the bed-plate, and are operated to causethe dies to grip the wire by the cams D D, as shown in Fig. 4.. The blocks I I are provided with a notch or shoulder for receiving the steel gripping-dies z t, which may be of any approved construction. These dies are held in'place by clamps j j, having lateral notches, as shown, so that upon loosening the bolts said clamps may be slipped back and the dies readily removed. Set-screws are arranged behind the dies, as shown, for adjusting them to and from each other. The blocks I I are also provided with dovetail grooves, in which the die-blocks K K, carrying the cutting-off and pointing dies, are mounted. The cutting-off and pointing dies are inserted at an angle in grooves in socket-plates 1' 1", which plates are clamped between the blocks K K and plates k, and they are firmly held in place laterally and to their work longitudinally by setscrews, as shown. The plates r r have elongated bolt-holes to give slight adjustment, so that the dies may be moved toward or from the gripping-dies, and thereby regulate the length of projecting wire to be upset to form the head.

In the adjacent ends of the die-blocks K K, I secure stops 8 s, to guard the cuttingoff dies by taking the shock of impact in case the wire is exhausted, or for other reason is not properly fed to the machine. These stops are made adjustable, and are locked in their adjusted position by means of locking-nuts in a well-known way.

The die-blocks K K are operated by the cams E E to bring the cutting-off dies together to point the nail and sever it from the wire, and by the cams E E and arms or strapsk it they are caused to recedefrom each other and remain long enough for the heading-punch to perform its function of forming the head and for the feeding device to insert a new nail to be severed and pointed.

, L is the guide-tube for directing the wire to the gripping-dies. This tube is hung in a block vertically adjustable by means of an adjusting-screw, t, and laterally adjustable by means of slots in the strap t or frame, through which it is bolted to the main frame of the machine.

Bolted to the front of the frame A of the machine is a small cast-metal frame or support, a, upon which is mounted my improved wire-feeding mechanism. At the outer extremity of this feeding-frame are secured, in suitable fastenings, a set of straightening rolls or bits, b b. The feeding mechanism proper consists of a piece, 0, fitted to slide on a dovetail way, a, formed on the support a. This sliding piece is reciprocated back and forth across the support a by means of the pitman O operated directly by one of the shafts 0 through crank G.

dis a block loosely pivoted to the piece 0. This block has a groove or way in which a bar, d, may freely slide. Above the pivoted block (1 and bar (1, and at right angles with the sliding piece 0, is a fixed bar or track, h, and upon this way is mounted and free to slide a traveling plate or table, on, provided with segmental projecting arms having curved slots m m. The bar (2 is pivoted to the table m through slot in way It. (Shown in Fig. 5.) The pivoted block (1 may be placed at any desired angle with the sliding piece 0 by adjusting the bar d, with which the former turns. The bar at is then rigidly clamped to the traveling table m by set-screws through the slots m. The traveling table m has mounted on it a pair of eccentric feed-jaws, n n, to grip the wire and carry it along when the table moves toward the main machine, and release their hold when making the reverse movement. The eccentric jaws are held to contact with the wire byvery light springs in a well-known way. As the sliding piece 0 is reciprocated, by the pitman, the angularly-adjusted block d operates on the bar d, and the table m is caused to travel toward and from the machine proper, and the greater the angle between these parts a and d the greater the range of the table m, and the greater the length of wire will be fed to the machine.

It is observed that the crank which drives the punch is made to give a thrust a little more than the length of the longest nail to be made by the machine; that the punch may be adjusted to and from the die; that the cutting-off and pointing dies are adjustable to leave more or less wire to be upset for the head; that said dies are readily removed altogether and replaced; that the gripping-dies and the guide-tube are easily removed and replaced; that the feed can be easily adjusted; that the cutting-oh dies are protected by guards, so that they cannot come together, and that the machine is simple, compact, and durable.

Whatis claimed as my invention is-- 1. In a wire-nail machine, the combination, with the sliding die-blocks K K, of guards or stops 8, for preventing contact of the cuttingoff dies, as specified.

2. The combination, with the die-blocks K K, of the slotted socket-plates r r, clampingplates 70 7c, the clamping-bolts, and the cuttingoff dies,whereby the latter are adjusted to and from the face of the gripping-dieasubstantially as described.

3. The combinatiomwith the gripping-dies, of a vertically and laterally adjustable guidetube for directing the wire accurately to thedies, as specified.

4. An intermittent wirefeeding mechanism, consisting of the combination of a recip rocating piece, means for imparting motion thereto at right angles to the direction of the feed, a block secured to and arranged at an angle with the reciprocating piece provided with a groove or way, a bar freely sliding therein, and a table carrying wire-clamps sethe bar is clamped at any desired angle, and I0 cured to said bar, adapted to slide on a way a track or way on which the table slides, as to and from the machine, as set forth. described. 5. In intermittent wire-feeding mechanism, In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5 the combination of a piece reciprocating at presence of two witnesses.

right angles with the feed, a grooved block I ALMON E. PRESTON. pivoted thereto, a bar sliding in said block, Witnesses: a sliding table carrying wire-clamps provided V. D. STOOKBRIDGE,

with segment ends and curved slots, to which EUGENE HIGGINS. 

